1. Field
The invention is directed to computer-based online communication, and in particular, to chat messages exchanged between users in online gaming and social environments.
2. Description of the Related Art
Multiplayer online games and virtual worlds are popular forms of online entertainment. Both generally include computer users simultaneously logging into a computer network and interacting with each other in a computer simulated environment. The computer users are generally represented by a virtual avatar. Each computer user may control their avatar to move through the simulated environment, achieve gaming objectives and/or chat with other users and/or non-player characters.
User-to-user communication is generally a prominent feature within any online environment. To promote civility and safety among users, online environment providers generally employ safety or filtering features which reduce obscene language or other inappropriate communication. For example, in some formats, a user may chat directly with another user in real-time by typing characters directly into a text-field and sending a message to the other user. In this case, an online environment provider may process and filter user-to-user chat messages by removing swear words, slurs, or other known terms of disparagement. In another example, an online environment provider may disallow freely typed chat messages. Instead, a process is provided where a pre-selected choice of words or phrases is provided for a user to select and communicate other users. One constraint of such a system is that any words or phrases to be used must be manually predetermined by the online environment provider.
Another concern for online environment providers is community cohesion. Online environments may have many users with a variety of interests from a wide range of demographics. User communities may form which, in turn, may develop their own jargon, slang and/or abbreviations (e.g., “LOL”). To improve user experience and to provide a connecting experience to a variety of user demographics, online environment providers may provide methods to facilitate communication between users in disparate communities.